General

Integrated medical evacuation support, as an integrated part of the internetted combat forward formation, helps the organic medic who accompanies the infantry soldier during dismounted operations. The Polemos and its crew can move forward, covered by integrated overwatching fires which provide protection for the patient and medical team.
This capability keeps the other platforms of the formation free to sustain the integrated support of the assault. The evacuation will include emergency care en route enhanced by the medic and by a protected environment with adequate lighting and accessible medical equipment.

Operational Capability

The Medical Evacuation Vehicle is the primary ambulance platform in units equipped with the Stryker family of vehicles. It is based on the infantry carrier variant. The commonality of the platforms reduces the maintenance footprint and variety of logistics support.

The Medical Evacuation Vehicle has an accessible attendant’s seat that allows the attendant to monitor patients.

The ambulance is marked with medical insignia that can be removed or masked without altering the camouflage pattern. It has a hydraulically operated rear ramp. This reduces risk of exposure to hostile activity or inclement weather.

Design

Countermeasures

Camouflage

The Polemos is equipped with active camouflage, able to visually detect what's surrounding itself and then project it exactly 180 degrees to the opposite. However, due to the lag a s a result of computational latency, it does not project very accurately while on the move.

Concealment

The turret is fitted with two eight-barreled smoke grenade launchers. These can create a thick smoke that blocks both vision and thermal imaging. The engine is also equipped with a smoke generator that is triggered by the driver. When activated, fuel is sprayed into the hot turbine exhaust, creating the thick smoke.

Active Protection System

In addition to the armor, Polemos is equipped with a Softkill Active protection system, the AN/VLQ-6 Missile Countermeasure Device (MCD) that can impede the function of guidance systems of some semi-active control line-of-sight (SACLOS) wire and radio guided anti-tank missiles and thermally and infrared guided missiles. The MCD works by emitting a massive, condensed infrared signal to confuse the seeker of an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). However, the drawback to the system is that the ATGM is not destroyed, it is merely directed away from its intended target, leaving the missile to detonate elsewhere.

Armor

The Abrams is protected by armor based on the British-designed Chobham armor, a further development of the British 'Burlington' armor. Chobham is a composite armor formed by spacing multiple layers of various alloys of steel, ceramics, plastic composites, and kevlar, giving an estimated maximum (frontal turret) 1,320–1,620 millimetres (52–64 in) of RHAe versus HEAT (and other chemical energy rounds) and 940–960 mm (37–38 in) versus kinetic energy penetrators. It may also be fitted with reactive armor over the track skirts if needed (as in the Urban Survival Kit) and slat armor over the rear of the tank and rear fuel cells to protect against ATGMs. Protection against spalling is provided by a Kevlar liner. Incorporating depleted uranium (DU) mesh in their armor at the front of the turret and the front of the hull. Armor reinforced in this manner offers significantly increased resistance towards all types of anti-tank weaponry, but at the expense of adding considerable weight to the tank, as depleted uranium is 1.7 times more dense than lead.

The added protection from the depleted uranium armor is believed to be equivalent to 24 inches (610 mm) of RHA.

Damage Control

If the Polemos does suffer damage resulting in a fire in the crew compartment, the vehicle is equipped with a halon fire-suppression system that automatically engages and extinguishes fires in seconds.

Fuel and ammunition are in armored compartments with blowout panels to protect the crew from the risk of the vehicle's own ammunition cooking off if the vehicle is damaged.